News

Economic Development Regina Inc. Focused on COVID-19 Recovery

Apr 2, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 31, 2020

(Regina) Amid the impact of COVID-19, EDR’s Board of Directors, comprised of leaders from across the local economy, has embarked on a strategy to help the Greater Regina Area’s business community survive and recover from the pandemic.

“Our board is intensely focused on getting Regina to the other side of this difficult situation,” said EDR Board Chair Frank Hart. “We have been encouraged by Mayor Fougere to take on this task. We are pivoting from our existing mandate to make this our key focus in the short term.”

“Mayor and Council believe that EDR is on the right track,” said Mayor Michael Fougere. “We must look to the future as well as taking care of the short-term needs of our businesses. EDR is uniquely positioned to lead this work.”

EDR is working collaboratively with associations, governments and others to assess what’s happening and supporting initiatives including the Government of Saskatchewan’s Business Response Team. Many local organizations have come together including the Regina Chamber of Commerce, Regina Downtown Business Improvement District, Warehouse Business Improvement District, the Regina Hotel Association and Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan to support the development of a business recovery plan.

The strategy will include three initial areas of focus:

Providing Business leaders access to information critical to their ability to cope with the economic downturn. To that end, a comprehensive list of resources has been posted to EDR’s website. This list will be updated throughout the pandemic period to include any new information.

Delivering coaching and Mentoring support to assist businesses looking for experienced help in making decisions on survival and recovery best practices. EDR is currently working with partners in the business community on a series of webinars to get information to business owners. EDR will also promote and deliver knowledge through its social media channels.

Preparing an action plan to support the most rapid recovery possible for GRA businesses. As part of this process, EDR will seek the advice and assistance of other organizations and business leaders to create the most effective, collaborative plan possible. EDR’s Board has held several special meetings to identify priorities and next steps.

Hart said that EDR President & CEO John Lee is working closely with the board to re-align and re-prioritize EDR staff resources to this priority.

“Of course, we have to do what we can to help our business community simply survive the pandemic,” said Lee. “support will come from all levels of government to provide some relief in the immediate term. But we see our role as leading the development of a recovery strategy that will first get the local economy moving again, and second result in a thriving and growing post-covid economy in the Greater Regina Area.”

“We want everyone in Regina to know that our business community is strong and resilient, and that we expect them to lead us back to prosperity after the pandemic crisis,” said Hart. “Our job is to help in whatever way we can.”

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About Economic Development Regina Inc.

Economic Development Regina Inc. (EDR) is the lead agency for economic development and tourism marketing for the Greater Regina Area. We are a not-for-profit public-private partnership and governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, with the City of Regina as its sole shareholder.